Hat and clothes rack.



No. 691.869. xpatented Aug. 29, |899. 4

n H. B. PORTER.- HAT AND CLOTHES RACK.

(Application med June 1,5, 1899.)

U @u l m l l UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY B. PORTER, OF HARTVVIOK, IOWA.

HAT AND CLOTHESV RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming peri-.ef Letters Patent No. 631,860, dated August 29, 189e.

Application iiled J'une 15, 1899.

To all wiz/0m it may oon/cern:

Be it known that I, HARRY B. PORTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartwick, in the county of Poweshiek and-State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful I-Iat and Olothes Rack, of which the following' is a specification.

This invention relates to hat and clothes racks, and has for its object to provide improved means for holding the suspendingarm in a normally closed or folded position and which is adapted to automatically return said arm to its original folded position after the article has been removed fromsthe arm.

To these ends the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved hat and clothes rack. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the device. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the garmentsuspending arm and the weight for holding said arm in its normally closed or folded position.

Corresponding parts in the several gures of the drawings are designated bylike characters of reference.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, l designates an attaching base-plate having a housing or casing 2 projecting laterally from the plate. The outer face of this housing is provided with a pair of parallel iianges 3, forming a longitudinal recess in the outer face of the housing. The lower end of said recess is closed by means of a transverse wall et connecting the lower ends of the parallel flanges, and the upper end of the recess is unobstructedand opens upwardly between the ends of the flanges. The rear wall 4 of the recess also forms a partition between the recess and the socket 6 or interior of the housing 2 and is provided at its lower end with Serial No. 720,636. (No model.)

an opening 7, connecting the socket with the recess.

Mounted within the recess formed between the ianges 3 is the suspending-arm 8, which is provided at its lower end with a lateral eX- tension 9, projecting through the opening 7 and into the interior of the casing 2, thereby forming a bell-crank'arm which is pivoted upon a suitable pivot-pin 10, passing transversely through the flanges 3 and the arm at a point immediately above the lateral extension 9.

Located within the interior of the casing 2 is a slidable weight 11, which is substantially rectangular in shape and is provided at its four upright edges with lateral flanges 12, which t loosely against the inner face of the partition 5 and the outer face of the surface 13, to which the attaching-plate 1 may be fitted. The lower end of the weight is preferably reduced, as shown, and is provided with a pair of vertical slots 14, in each of which is pivoted a pendent link 15, mounted upon a single pivot-pin 16, which extends transversely through the reduced end of -the weight. The lower ends of these links loosely embrace the inner free end of the bell-crank arm S and are pivoted thereto by means of a single pivot-pin 17.

As bestillustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the outer face of the partition 5 is provided with a lining or cushion 18, against which the arm S is adapted to strike, so as to prevent noise. Furthermore, it will be seen that the partition 5 is provided with a notch 19, located at the upper end thereof and adapted to receive the enlarged head 2O at the outer free end of the suspending-arm 8. Located within this socket and against the rear wall thereof is a cushion 21, adapted to receive the impact of the head 20 and normally hold the latter away from the rear wall of the notch 19. It will be seen that the head 2O projects beyond the upper ends of the flanges 3, so that l IOO sition of the device the weight l1 is thrown upward by its connection with the lateral ex-v tension of the suspending-arm 8 until the upper end of the weight engages against the upper wall of the interior of 'the casing 2, so that the suspending-arm is effectively held in its operative position. To prevent noise by reason of the contact of the weight 11 with the upper wall of the casing, said wall is provided with a suitable lining or cushion 22, against which the weight is adapted to strike. Immediately upon removing the article from the suspending-arm the Weight 1l will descend and automatically swing or close the arm back into its original position in the recess formed between the flanges 3.

The present invention provides an exceedingly simple and useful form of clothes-rack which is particularly adapted for application to the backs of chairs orpews, as the suspending-arm is normally folded out of the way. Furthermore, the actuating parts of the device are effectively housed and thereby prevented from getting out of order.

What I claim is- 1. In a hat and clothes rack, the combination with a housing or casing, of a garmentsuspending arm pivoted to the casing o1l l1ousing and projecting into the interior thereof, and a weight pivoted to the inner end of the arm and slidable vertically within the interior of the housing or casing, the upper wall of the latter forming a stop to limit the movement of the weight, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a hat and clothes rack, the combination with a housing or casing, having an opening communicating with the interior thereof, of a garment-suspending arm pivoted intermediate its ends to the outer face of the housing or casing, and having a lateral extension located at its lower end and projecting through the opening into the interior of the housing or casing, a weight slidable vertically within the housing or casing and provided in its lower end with a pair of vertical slots, and a pair of links pivoted within the respective slots and pivotally embracing the inner end of the lateralextension of the arm, substantially as shown and described;

3. In a hat and clothes rack, the combination with a housing or casing having a notch formed in the upper end thereof, and a cushion loc'ated in said notch, of a garment-supporting arm pivoted intermediate its ends and having its lower end projecting into the interior of the housing or casing, and a weight pivotally connected to the lower end of the arm and slidable vertically within the housing or casing, the free end of the arm being received within the notch and against the cushion, in the inoperative position of the device, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony/that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY B. PORTER. Witnesses:

FRANK R. PORTER, JOHN SMECKER. 

